Atheist Jim Al Khalili BBC Documentary

Science and Islam, Jim Al Khalili BBC Documentary

[Comparative Study] An interpretation/perspective/presentation/­production.. from an Un-Islamic/Non-Islamic viewpoint..

Physicist
Jim Al-Khalili (Atheist) travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell
the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in
the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Its legacy
is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being
Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science -- there would
be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers
without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.

For
Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his
travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by
learning and obsessed with science.

From the great mathematician
Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we
now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose
Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he
pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements
of the early medieval Islamic scientists."

PBS - Narrated by Ben Kinsley

The
production of Islam: Empire of Faith was a big challenge from the
beginning, simply because it covered more than a thousand years of
history and culture, and a very large part of the world.

But we
really wanted to push beyond the conventional form of historical
documentaries, which have depended on pans and tilts of still pictures,
supplemented with landscapes and interviews. We wanted to find a way to
use the visual techniques usually reserved for fiction motion pictures
to tell a story of great scope that took place in pre-photographic
history. This meant the project would require very large scale costumed
re-enactments and equipment far beyond the ordinary documentary
production package of camera, zoom lens, tripod and small light-kit.

We
knew that we had to find a way to present images of cultural history —
both re-enacted scenes and contemporary scenes of Islamic architecture
and city life — in a way that would evoke the past, but maintain a sense
of authenticity. The scenes would be dream-like and impressionistic but
would still give viewers a sense that what they were seeing was
accurate in historical terms.

We designed a production package
that included a robotic crane with an 18-foot reach (Jimmi-jib),
allowing us to fly the camera through architectural spaces, and a
Steadicam that would allow for smooth camera moves through buildings at
ground level — even mounting it on a truck to shoot running horses at
full speed. We took a wide selection of lenses from extremely wide to
telephoto and we also brought a high-speed camera for true slow-motion
(500 frames per second) allowing us to slow an action down that actually
took one second to fully twenty seconds on-screen. All of these taken
together would provide an extraordinarily production palette. But it
also meant that we had to travel with more than 40 cases of equipment —
and do so in seven different countries. The logistics were severe.

The
actual American camera crew was very small — Director of Photography
Rege Becker (who also operated the Steadicam) and First Assistant
Cameraman and Jib Operator Nick Gardner, who also shot second camera
when required. The rest of the crew was hired and trained in each
country — Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Spain, Turkey and Iran.

It
was in Iran that we used a motion picture company — with a crew of 50 —
to produce the costumed re-enactments. Iran's foremost Art Director
Majid Mirfakhraei, had to create locations, costumes and props for more
than a thousand years of history — from the deserts 7th century Arabia,
to the palaces of the Ottoman empire. The same team of stunt riders had
to be made-up and redressed to play Arabian mounted soldiers, Crusader
knights, Mongol raiders, Ghazi horsemen and Ottoman cavalry. A full
sized, four-story replica of the holiest shrine in the Muslim world (the
Kaaba in Saudi Arabia), had to be built in the deserts of Southern Iran
and the vanished world of 8th century Baghdad had to be created in the
ruins of a 19th century Persian palace. More than 300 costumes were
required, as well as a dozen camels and riders, dozens of sheep and
goats, an entire Bedouin encampment and the streets of Jerusalem in the
11th century — complete with market stalls and citizens.

This
extraordinary production design, set in epic landscapes, gives the film a
startling sense of scope and provides a remarkable window through which
to examine the past. The film took 18 months to edit, and is supported
by an original score by Leonard Lionnet.

Category

The Bible The Qur'an and Science

Dr.Maurice and the Pharaoh - Qur'an & Science

Dr.Maurice the French professor was searching for a holy book that in harmony with the modern science .
After
he made a discovery of which pharaoh is the one which were drowned
while chasing Moses and his followers he realized that there is only one
holy book that mention that the body of that particular pharaoh was
retrieved after he was drowned !!
and his body was preserved by the will of God till today as a sign for the people ...
this is a complete documentary of the story of Dr.Maurice with his research .

Side
note : Dr. Maurice converted to Islam & he kept researching the
"Qur'an" for more than 10 years in the eyes of modern science & he
studied Arabic language too , and he came to the conclusion that the
"Qur'an" & modern science are in total harmony .